'Come on mate, it's New Year's Eve'

By
TAMMY MILLS

'Come on mate, it's New Year's Eve'

YOU’RE 16, you’re driving a car around a roundabout the wrong way and police pull you over with a blood-alcohol reading of almost three times the legal limit.

And your first response to police?

“Come on mate. It’s New Year’s Eve.”

This is what a teenager allegedly told police early yesterday after he was pulled over in Wodonga with three teenage mates in the car.

It was one case among a litany of stupid behaviour on the roads during new-year celebrations, including a P-plater in Bright who blew .204 and an Albury youth, 15, allegedly driving while two friends were in the tray of a utility.

Wodonga police Sgt Wal Larkin said police had received several reports of an erratic driver in Wodonga about 6am.

The Mitsubishi Sigma was seen driving the wrong way around the roundabout at the intersection of Melrose Drive and Melbourne Road.

Sgt Larkin said police had pulled the car over and found the teenager who was driving had three passengers, aged either 18 or 19.

He said the driver was “noticeably intoxicated” and a breath test had returned a reading of .141.

Sgt Larkin said the unlicensed teenager in the unregistered car had asked to be let off saying: “Come on mate, it’s New Year’s Eve”.

Sgt Larkin was not impressed.

“It’s frustrating because of the level of his intoxication and the risks of injury or worse for other innocent road users was extreme,” Sgt Larkin said.

The teenager will be charged on summons with exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol, unlicensed driving, driving an unregistered car and disobeying road signs.

Bright police were also unhappy after New Year’s Eve. They intercepted a teenager driving with more than four times the legal blood alcohol limit.

Leading Sen-Constable Mick Guiney said police had seen the 18-year-old tourist, who only got his

P-plate licence four months ago, doing a burn out in Gavin Street.

The teenager’s breath test returned a reading of .204.

“That gives a new meaning to the words bloody idiot,” Sen-Constable Guiney said.

The teenager’s car was impounded for 30 days and he will be charged with exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol and possibly dangerous driving.

At 1.25am near Albury, a teenager, 15, was charged for driving a single-cab utility.

Officers said a 19-year-old man, a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl were also crammed into the front seat.

A girl, 14, and a 15-year-old boy were in the rear tray.

Police said the boy had been charged with unlicensed driving, driving an unregistered and uninsured car and driving with passenger in/on part of vehicle with no seatbelt.